Holiday In Spain/Scent of Mystery (1 Viewer)

[David Sal]

No subs.

 

[DP 70]

No Subtitles are put on to Smilebox releases.

 

[DP 70]

Got mine today, thanks again Dave Strohmaier for all your hard work for us Cinerama fans.

 

[alistairKerr]

Received mine here in the UK today - great service from SAE - and another Smilebox to add to my collection!
And another vote of thanks to Mr Strohmaier for his tireless work in bringing these films to blu-ray and DVD!
Alistair

 

[Douglas R]

HOLIDAY IN SPAIN didn't open in the UK until 1966 - some years after it's US screening. I didn't see it at the time due, I think, to the bad reviews. I doubt whether I would have enjoyed it if I'd seen it then but it's fascinating to be able to see it now in a historical context in this excellent Blu-ray Smilebox restoration. As a film, there's an awful lot wrong with it, especially the annoying and pointless commentary by Denholm Elliott. The acting, by just about everyone, is very stilted; probably explained by our being informed during the audio commentary track that the actors complained that Jack Cardiff didn't give them much direction. But what ultimately makes the film enjoyable and worthwhile are the wonderful scenic views of Spain. I was also surprised that the film had so many point of view scenes - almost as if it had been intended for Cinerama.

I very much enjoyed the audio commentary by Bruce Kimmel (surely he should do more of these), David Strohmaier and Sandra Shahan. In fact I far preferred to listen to their commentary whilst watching the visuals, thereby not having to follow the rather silly plot and silly dialogue! I also found the location short fascinating. I'd liked to have a bit more information on what was cut from SCENT OF MYSTERY. I assume it was mainly story elements rather than travelogue style material? Good to have the SCENT OF MYSTERY programme but i wonder whether there was also a programme for HOLIDAY IN SPAIN?

 

[Charles Smith]

I very much enjoyed the audio commentary by Bruce Kimmel (surely he should do more of these), David Strohmaier and Sandra Shahan...

Without question. I haven't yet watched the film, but as I took a few minutes last week to sample the Blu-ray, I left the audio on the commentary track, and very much look forward to savoring the entire conversation soon.

 

[haineshisway]

HOLIDAY IN SPAIN didn't open in the UK until 1966 - some years after it's US screening. I didn't see it at the time due, I think, to the bad reviews. I doubt whether I would have enjoyed it if I'd seen it then but it's fascinating to be able to see it now in a historical context in this excellent Blu-ray Smilebox restoration. As a film, there's an awful lot wrong with it, especially the annoying and pointless commentary by Denholm Elliott. The acting, by just about everyone, is very stilted; probably explained by our being informed during the audio commentary track that the actors complained that Jack Cardiff didn't give them much direction. But what ultimately makes the film enjoyable and worthwhile are the wonderful scenic views of Spain. I was also surprised that the film had so many point of view scenes - almost as if it had been intended for Cinerama.

I very much enjoyed the audio commentary by Bruce Kimmel (surely he should do more of these), David Strohmaier and Sandra Shahan. In fact I far preferred to listen to their commentary whilst watching the visuals, thereby not having to follow the rather silly plot and silly dialogue! I also found the location short fascinating. I'd liked to have a bit more information on what was cut from SCENT OF MYSTERY. I assume it was mainly story elements rather than travelogue style material? Good to have the SCENT OF MYSTERY programme but i wonder whether there was also a programme for HOLIDAY IN SPAIN?

Thanks for the nice words, Doug. I hate the narration, which, of course, was never part of Scent of Mystery. It was added for Holiday in Spain, mostly because when they made the twenty-five minutes' worth of cuts they needed to fill in the gaps to make the story have some semblance of sense. I have never seen any evidence of a program for Holiday in Spain.

 

[Keith Cobby]

This was the first time I have seen Holiday in Spain and I really enjoyed it. Great package of extras, good commentary, feature on how the locations look today, interviews with Beverly Bentley and Susan Todd, and a very comprehensive booklet. Thanks Dave.

By the way her picture is displayed on the cover, inside the box, and on the disc, you would think Diana Dors was the star of the show. Nice touch for us Brits. Thanks again Dave.

 

[RolandL]

... I have never seen any evidence of a program for Holiday in Spain.

The only program I have been able to find is the one that the Boston Theatre did for their showing. You can see the complete program here on my web site. A few of the pages are shown below. I like how the program was done - looks like a program for a live play.

Every time I check Screen Archives, Holiday in Spain is always in the top ten for sales which is good.

 

[ahollis]

Question which answer I may have missed. SCENT OF MYSTERY was released in 1960. When did HOLIDAY IN SPAIN hit the Cinerama Theatres. What was the length between the two releases? Again sorry if I missed this info in another post. Thanks. By the way I throughly enjoyed the Blu-ray which I watched for the fifth time today.

 

[haineshisway]

I think it was two years later or thereabouts.

 

[haineshisway]

The only program I have been able to find is the one that the Boston Theatre did for their showing. You can see the complete program here on my web site. A few of the pages are shown below. I like how the program was done - looks like a program for a live play.

Every time I check Screen Archives, Holiday in Spain is always in the top ten for sales which is good.

Interestingly, they also did a Playbill for Scent of Mystery, which I have in my collection of SOM ephemera.

 

[RolandL]

Question which answer I may have missed. SCENT OF MYSTERY was released in 1960. When did HOLIDAY IN SPAIN hit the Cinerama Theatres. What was the length between the two releases? Again sorry if I missed this info in another post.Thanks.By the way I throughly enjoyed the Blu-ray which I watched for the fifth time today.

Holiday in Spain had its world premiere in Cinemiracle at the Toronto Eglinton theatre on 12/22/61.

 

[ahollis]

It's a beautifully shot film, but with the talent behind the camera you wouldn't expect anything else. But that infectious musical score just works so well with the film that no matter how many times you watch it, it's just fun.

 

[rsmithjr]

Mario Nascimbene's score is a delight, one that really evokes future scores and films for me. I think of Mancini's scores for The Pink Panther and Charade.